Choosing a Better Fate
by WistfulSong
Summary: When all signs point to a bleak future with little to no hope, it's hard to seek a better life. But sometimes, all you need is a companion who's willing to stick with you till the very end. Minato x Kushina rated T for language and minor suggestive themes
1. Chapter 1

**Choosing a Better Fate**

Summary: When all signs point to a bleak future with little to no hope, it's hard to seek a better life. But sometimes, all you need is a companion who's willing to stick with you till the very end. Minato x Kushina

Disclaimer I don't own Naruto.

Prologue

Kushina nervously stood in front of a desk. Not just any desk, this desk belonged to the Hokage of Konoha, one of the most powerful men in the world. Said man was looking over a folder with eyes that held wisdom beyond her years. She was fidgeting with her yellow shirt, unable to move due to the man behind her with his hand on her shoulder. For an Eleven year old girl she couldn't help but feel nervous, she might be ignorant about a lot of things but even she knew how much stature a Hokage had in the world. She awoke one day in her village on the border of the land of fire to be told that she was going to Konoha not even two days ago. She then ended up leaving that very day with a tall silver haired man.

The man she was with didn't answer any of her questions, he just gave a smile and told her to be patient. Unfortunately for him Kushina was a very stubborn and impatient girl. A personality that matched the color of her hair. It was stark red, almost the color of blood that reached to the small of her back. She didn't know what to think of it, she was the only person she had ever known with red hair. So throughout the trip she kept asking questions and sometimes threw stones at him to get his attention. They never landed and all he offered was an amused smile.

Suddenly she was brought out of her inner thoughts by a calm and almost fatherly voice. "So you are young Uzumaki Kushina" Even though it wasn't a question she nodded nervously drawing an amused but warm smile from the elderly man in front of her. "Welcome to Konoha Kushina, I am Hiruzen most refer to me as lord Hokage but you can call me Sarutobi". Again she nodded though less nervous now and had a shy smile on her face. He then turned to her Nameless escort.

"Thank you Sakumo, would you inform Mito of the situation now". 'Sakumo' as she now knew him as bowed and walked out of the room sparing her a glance on his way out. "Now Kushina, do you know why you are here?" She shook her head. "You have a voice do you not?"

"Y-Yes Dattebane!" She quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment and blushed. He chuckled in amusement.

"There is no need to be nervous Kushina, this is your home now and I hope you will enjoy your time here". Around the Hokage, with his fatherly smile she found herself calming down considerably and managed a small smile. "Are you hungry Kushina? I imagine all that walking with only a few pieces of fruit have done little to fill your stomach up." She nodded a bit more enthusiastically than before which brought a small chuckle from him. He stood up and held the door open for her.

She crossed her arms over her chest as she saw a few people with masks covering their faces. She felt the Hokage put a gentle hand on her shoulder and she calmed down a bit but still tried to hide her small frame from view behind her slim arms. "Don't worry Kushina, they are ANBu the elite ninja of Konoha. They will not attempt to harm you." He must be a mind reader she thought, he always seemed to know what was bothering her and what to say to calm her nerves. "Tell me Kushina what do you know of Konoha?"

"You are one of the five great nations in the world, you were allies of my home before it was, before it-"

"Yes even now it is hard to speak of, uzushiogakure was a marvelous village most known for its Fuinjitsu and one of Konohas greatest allies. Unfortunately yes it was destroyed due to their people's vast strength and brilliant minds. Not to mention their sealing arts." He grew a sad sort of smile as if he was reminiscing. "We were all very sorry when it was destroyed and I wish we were able to save it. Do you remember much of it?"

"No, I was around four when my Kaa-san told me that I had to leave with other people from my clan. She wouldn't tell me why, but when I was eight one of the people I left with said that our village was destroyed." Her voice had gone really quiet, like she was trying not to show too much emotion lest she burst into tears.

The Hokage suddenly stopped and knelt in front of her. He turned her chin up so that she was looking at him. Dark blue eyes met dark brown. "You are a survivor of a great tragedy, those like your mother sacrificed themselves so that you can have a second chance. Don't look on their deaths with sadness, but remember them for what they stood for and honor their memory by living your life to the fullest". She hesitated before slowly nodding, a shy smile breaking on her face. After years of running from bandits and finding home after home, the Hokage in front of her was giving her words that she would do her best to remember.

He stood up and offered his hand which she took after a brief moment. They ended up outside a rather expensive looking restaurant which he entered, with after a small brief moment of hesitation she followed. Needless to say she was shocked at how neat the place looked. She was used to dirt and sometimes piss covered floors but here it was spotless.

Suddenly a man magically appeared in front of them. "Table for two Hokage-sama?" 

"Yes thank you" Said man led them to a table against the window and quickly gave them a booklet which had a list of what appeared to be food on them. She looked at Sarutobi with a raised eyebrow.

"You can have whatever is on the menu, I'll pay for it"

"Anything, as much as I want?" He smiled and nodded. Unfortunately for him he underestimated how hungry this girl could be. Normally she could eat a ton of ramen without stopping but she hadn't had much in two days leaving her with much more room in her stomach than usual. She was not going to waste this opportunity.

"I'll have all of it, one of each, dattebane!" While she grew a smile on her face Sarutobi lost his and sweat dropped. There were at least fifteen things on that menu he doubt she could finish half of it. The waiter must have shared his sentiments as he looked at Sarutobi in disbelief.

"Well you heard her, one of everything" The waiter nodded not bothering to write anything down and Sarutobi turned and amused stare to a certain eleven year old.

"What?"

"Surely you can't think you can eat all of that in one sitting?"|

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh I can, and I'll finish it in twenty minutes!"

"Alright I'll bet on that, if you can eat it all in twenty minutes I'll let you wear my robes and hat for a day" If anything her eyes glowed with what seemed defiance at being doubted.

"That'll be easy, but I don't want to wear your robes, I just want that smug grin wiped off your face dattebane!" Almost immediately she covered her mouth and stared at him in horror. She mind of forgot she was talking to the Hokage and realized how rude she was. Sarutobi was mentally laughing his beard off with her expression.

Maintaining composure on the outside he put on a frown "Hmph most people would consider it an honor to wear these robes, what you said is a great insult to many people" He was being cruel and he knew it but he couldn't help it at the moment. Not to mention judging from her expression she was quite mortified and what might possibly happen. "However I can keep what you said between us if you manage to eat all fifteen items in _fifteen_ minutes" He allowed himself to smirk in amusement as her facial expressions changed. She looked hopeful and ready to take on anything if it meant not royally screwing up in front of the leader of her new home.

So when the food arrived she wasted no time in shoving everything into her mouth. Sarutobi felt his jaw fall open slightly as he watched her practically inhale the food. Never in his life had he seen someone eat with such gusto especially from a girl. Only he and Jiraiya had eaten at a faster pace than most but this eleven year old was putting them to shame.

Currently she had a few buns sticking half way into her mouth as she ran out of room to put them in. Needless to say for the first time in a good five years he was shocked speechless. As the last piece of food was shoved in her mouth and quickly swallowed she panted slightly and looked at him. He saw a look very similar to Tsunade when she was given a challenge and expected to fail.

Suddenly he erupted into laughter and repeatedly slammed his fist onto the table. She looked at him stunned unsure how to react. As she looked around the restaurant some people were looking at the Hokage with stupefied expressions. The other half were looking at her jaws open and comically open eyes at what they just witnessed. Embarrassed she grew a faint blush on her face and looked out the window.

After the Hokage had calmed down he wiped a tear from his eye and chuckled at Kushina. "That took you eight minutes" She huffed even more embarrassed and looked down at her feet and fiddled with her hands. "Alright I suppose I can forgive you for what you said about my robes, not that it deserved any form of punishment in the first place." He grinned cheekily as her eyes widened.

Quickly distracting her from wherever thoughts they were going he found the perfect topic to discuss. "You see that cliff-face there?" She looked up still fuming before her eyes settled on a large rock face with three heads carved into it. "Those who aspire to follow their dreams and become the best they can be, those who inherit the will of fire are the ones whose heads are carved into that cliff. They are the ones who receive recognition from all people, not just shinobi"

She looked at it in wonder, it was quite a sight to behold. "If you took on any challenge the way you took all that food simply because you were doubted, you could become a truly strong shinobi"

"But so many people dream of becoming that strong but only three have ever made it to Hokage" He smiled at her before he noticed someone who represented everything he was talking to her about.

"Minato come here for a bit" Kushina quickly looked to where Sarutobi was shouting towards to see a kid around her age walking towards them. She subconsciously hid behind the robes of her escort as she looked him over. He wore a white hoodie and black pants, he seemed to have a wiry frame but that was expected of kids around their age. What she noticed most of all was his spiky blonder hair and a pair of bright cerulean eyes which in turn were studying her. She noticed that his eyes were almost glued to her hair which made her reach up to brush a lock of hair away from her eyes on instinct.

She was always subconscious about her hair, she didn't like it and she assumed that he thought it was ugly. Little did she know that he was thinking the complete opposite, he was captivated by her hair framing a rather round face which made her look really cute.

"STOP STARING DATTEBANE!" He hadn't noticed but a blush had spread across her face and she was growing increasingly flustered at his penetrating gaze. He quickly averted his eyes and looked towards Sarutobi, who in turn looked very amused.

"Why did you call me over here Hokage-sama"

"Minato what was your dream again?" Minato felt rather proud to be able to be asked this by the Hokage so he gained a large grin and put a hand to his chest.

"To be a Hokage respected and admired by everyone" Almost immediately a snort was heard from said girl who he dared not look at in case he caused his ears to receive another lashing.

Sarutobi looked at Kushina with deep thought, he then turned to Minato with a bit of pride in his voice. "Well if my student Jiraiya says that you are capable of doing it then I too will believe you can." Jiraiya had taken a rather keen interest in Minato, he had the highest scores in the academy which were actually almost flawless. He was seen as the student with the most capability during this year in the academy. "Which reminds me even though you are on break are you still keeping up with training?"

"Yes sensei, I train with Toma every now and then. Which reminds me he is waiting for me at the training grounds." Ah Toma, the boy wasn't as talented as Minato but was still showing signs of being a very capable shinobi. If the instructors reports were anything to go by then the two boys were always competing for top spot along with a few others, namely from the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans. However Minato was always the one being chased.

"Then don't let us hold you up, keep working hard Minato and im sure one day you will be wearing these robes" The boy gave him a radiant smile before risking a glance at the rather quiet redhead next to him.

The boy was proving to be extremely talented, in the academy having drawn the attention of Jiraiya was proof of that.

He smiled at the girl, but inwardly he grimaced. He was trying to get the girl to relax but after meeting Minato she seemed a little flustered.

"Kushina" She jumped a little signaling she was broken out of her thoughts. "What did you think of young Minato?" Her reply was instant.

"Seemed like a wimp"

He chuckled. "He does look small doesn't he, however he is one of the most gifted student in the academy, if anyone were to replace me as Hokage it would be someone with the drive and passion he has. If you were to train just as hard as you did to prove me wrong about the food back there you could probably be the first female Kage in history"

Her jaw went slack and she looked at him as if he were stupid to which he shrugged. As they continued to walk to wherever they were going she mulled his words in her head. Could she actually become Hokage? She didn't think so but Sarutobi pretty much said if you have that passion and the drive to follow your dreams then maybe there were no limits to what you could do. Still she doubted passion was the only thing needed, you needed talent and skill. A lesson that was taught to her from being on the run for many years after her home was gone.

After all she has had to fight many bandits and animals while on the run. This time she was brought out of her thoughts when they stopped at a rather large house, it was pretty far away from the center of the village but still only around a half hour walk from the Hokage tower.

The Hokage knocked once and was permitted by the man who had picked her up from her village two days ago, Sakumo. He nodded and held the door for them, glancing at Kushina again with an expression she couldn't exactly identify. He then motioned them to follow him as he led them down a rather long corridor.

Kushina couldn't help but feel like a lot of trepidation at the way Sakumo looked at her before. If she didn't know any better it was as if he was apologizing for something that she either didn't know or hadn't happened yet. He stopped at a door and the Hokage walked through beckoning for her to follow. Sakumo didn't follow. She was getting really alarmed right now, only the Hokages fatherly smile helped to keep her mind from racing.

As she entered she noticed the room was rather small. All there was a bed in the far right corner and a sink in the opposite corner with a window behind the aforementioned sink. In the middle of the room was a low table and four cushions. On the bed were two woman who were rather elderly, looking around the same age as the Hokage. One was sitting on the edge of the bed holding a wet cloth against the other ones forehead who was lying down.

Sarutobi gave her a smile he hoped was comforting before he led her to one of the cushions, then sat down on the one next to her. One of the woman helped the other out of the bed and led her to the cushion opposite Kushina while she sat opposite Sarutobi. The woman opposite her gave her a motherly smile which didn't really help the worry she was getting in her mind and heart. 

"Kushina allow me to introduce you to my wife Sarutobi Biwako" The woman who was opposite Hiruzen gave her a smile and nod. "and to Uzumaki Mito a dear friend of ours and widow toe the first Hokage Hashirama Senju".

"Hello my dear, I hope the travel was safe and not too tiring". She didn't know what to think of the situation here, this whole atmosphere felt like something big was going to be dropped on her small shoulders. Here she was surrounded by three very influential people in the world.

Even so she managed to quietly squeak out a few words "N-no it wasn't too bad, dattebane!" She inwardly flinched at her verbal tick again. She was so nervous she didn't even want to speak for risk of twisting her own tongue. Sarutobi cleared his throat and spoke with a clear voice.

"Kushina, you haven't been told why you are here. However the reason being as this is considered an S class secret. Im sure you understand that means no-one but those in this room and a few select others will know. However you are not to tell anyone of what was said in here understood?"

Kushina gulped at this and she trembled slightly, biting her lower lip she gave a submissive nod. Hiruzen smiled at her which did little to stem her nerves. How could she be calm when next to one of the five Kages and was told to pretty much keep her mouth shut about whatever was about to happen.

"First of all what do you know of the Bijuu?"

"They are weapons used in war?" The three of them nodded.

"Yes they are, there are nine very powerful Bijuu that exist. In order to contain them we seal them." He paused for a brief second. "However the only reliable container we know of is to seal them into a person."

Biwako spoke up "Mito here is one such person, she had a Bijuu sealed into her when she was very young and has since carried it within her for fifty years." At this point Kushinas mind was starting to connect the dots. Sealed into people, very young. "A Bijuu can usually only be seaked into a child this is because sealing it into an adult can cause harmful effects to the possible host usually resulting in death. However if one possess a special kind of chakra they can have a Bijuu sealed into them regardless of their age"

Mito then spoke up "Members of the Uzumaki clan are usually ones to host Bijuu due to members of the clan naturally having great stamina and are blessed with a great life force. Not to mention can recover from chakra exhaustion and have very fast recuperative abilities" She let the information settle in before continuing. "An uzuamki child would then be an obvious choice for the newest Jinchurki"

She held her head low, there was no mistaking it they wanted to seal one into her. Why would they do that? She didn't want a weapon like that inside her. Before she knew it she was panicking and had trouble breathing. She felt tears threaten to fall and she held a hand to her chest. Before it could escalate she felt a hand grab her own. She looked up and saw Mito looking at her with eyes full of sympathy and understanding.

"Hiruzen, Biwako, would you kindly leave us alone for a moment? I think hearing what's to come from a jinchuriki will help calm her." They nodded and with a squeeze on her shoulder from the Hokage they exited the room.

Kushina started sobbing and she felt Mito make her way over so she was next to her, next thing she knew her head was lowered to Mitos chest and a hand rubbed her hair in a soothing manner. She found herself calming down until the crying stopped and her heart stopped pounding in her chest.

"I was older than you when I had Kurama sealed into me, my own husband did it during the first shinobi war. With its power I helped drive back the effort. Hashirama helped me overcome Kuramas power, it threatened to overtake me but with my husbands love and the support of friends it couldn't harm me." She then rested her chin on Kushina's head and hummed a soft tune. Kushina recognized it, her mother would hum this to her when she was still alive, she could barely remember much from the time but she could never forget that tune.

"Does it hurt? I mean when its sealed into you and even after that does it hurt"

"The only way a Jinchurki can hurt you is if you let its power take over you. Kurama is a Bijuu full of hate so if you end up hating many things without love to counter act it, then you have allowed it to hurt you." She pulled her head away so she could look Kushina in the eyes.

"We came here to be the vessels of the Nine-Tails. But before that, we must find love and fill the vessel with it. Your life as a Jinchuriki is going to be very hard, you will face many trials and hardships. But you are an Uzumaki, we will always endure. No matter the challenge we as a clan survive. So I ask of you to take this burden, and keep the peace between nations" She paused for a bit. "There are selfish people in this world who want to use Jinchuriki and merely see us as weapons. We are not, in times of peace find friends and love them and let their love help you lead a happy life."

She probably shouldn't have said that part, they needed her finding an alternative would be very difficult. Her time was running out she could feel her body dying. But Kushina deserved the truth and the whole truth, well mostly. She couldn't tell her the risk of getting pregnant, she would leave that to Biwako.

"I'll do it"

Surprised Mito looked down and saw the girl with tears in her eyes. She was truly afraid but there was no denying the determination and courage in her expression.

She nodded and pulled her into a hug again.

"You are a brave, brave girl. For one so young to take on such responsibility, I know you'll make me and every Uzumaki who ever existed very proud." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

It was early into the next morning when Sarutobi Hiruzen had finally gotten a hold of those required for the extraction of the Kyuubi. The sun had barely started to rise signaling the start of the day. He took a drag from his pipe and blew the smoke out as he eyed the four people in front of him. He had gathered his students Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade as well has Hatake Sakumo so that they could discuss the ritual. They were sitting in front of his desk while Sakumo was leaning against the wall behind him.

"First off only Sakumo knows of what this meeting is about, what is to be discussed in this room is an S rank secret and only myself, Biwako and Mito know of this." Jiraiya then pulled a look of relief.

"Oh good, I was wondering why I was interrupted from my research and thankfully it's a damn good reason." In the next second he was lying face first on the ground with a massive welt on his head as Tsunade drew back her fist. Orochimaru just looked at him with annoyance.

"This isn't the time for jokes Jiraiya so shut up, you have no reason to complain. I was dragged out of bed with Dan for this and that's a damn better reason than yours." Jiraiya mumbled something like 'so she gets to complain' drawing a glare and a drawn back fist before Sarutobi cleared his voice.

"I too would have liked this done sooner but someone was a little hesitant in getting here as fast as they could." Jiraiya had the decency to look a little sheepish while Tsunade just huffed and crossed her arms. "You both have kept Orochimaru and I waiting as he was actually here when requested" He eyed the man with a little pride, he may be slightly twisted but the man was a genius and actually followed orders.

However the next statement would immediately bring out the serious side of the three sannin.

"I called you here because we must prepare to extract the Kyuubi into a new host." As predicted Tsunade and Jiraiya looked at him with something akin to disbelief. Even Orochimaru looked slightly shocked though he was always good at masking his thoughts. Sakumo already knew so just looked out the window.

It was Jiraiya who spoke. "Why does this need to happen? You know that extracting a Bijuu will kill its host." Everyone knew that he was close with Mito, she had become a mother figure for him and knowing she would most likely die from the extraction was obviously going to hit him hard.

Orochimaru almost sneered in annoyance. "Drop your emotions for the old lady Jiraiya, its most likely that she's dying from old age and this causes us to plant the Kyuubi into a new host so that it doesn't go rampaging again." Tsunade and Jiraiya glowered at him while Hiruzen sighed. As always Orochimaru was very perceptive and able to make great assumptions. But again he tended to say things in the harshest way possible even if it was right.

Before a fight between the three would start he decided to speak up. "I would have chosen a more respectful way of saying it" Looking pointedly at Orochimaru who just shrugged. "But he is right, Mito has told us many times she feels her time is coming to an end. So we have been looking for a new host and sent a few jonin to look for one. Ideally we wanted an Uzumaki like Mito if not then someone with a special chakra to increase the chances of success."

Tsunade perked up at this "Uzumakis generally have great recuperative abilities and immense stamina. Unfortunately most of them died when their home was destroyed. Finding one would be near impossible." At this Sakumo looked back at them from his place on the wall and stepped forward.

"It would be but we have kept in contact with the survivors of the destruction of Uzushiogakure and quickly came into contact with surviving members of the clan that aren't here in the village." Hiruzen idly noticed that Orochimaru seemed to perk up at the news members of the Uzumaki clan weren't here in the village and had survived. He would have to think on that later, for Orochimaru was acting more like Danzo ever since the war ended. "After we explained we were looking for any children among them they introduced a child called Uzumaki Kushina who also has a special chakra."

"Wait you found an Uzumaki child who has special chakra which is perfect for becoming a Jinchurki?" Jiraiya seemed perplexed. "What makes you think she would even agree to such a thing? That and finding an Uzumaki with the special chakra is as rare as Tsunade not pounding me to the ground daily"

"Even we didn't expect to find many Uzumaki not here in the village. We were only expecting to find someone with special chakra to increase the chances of success. As for her agreeing she already has, she's here in the village awaiting the ritual to be performed."

"How on earth did you convince her to do that, most Jinchurki are forced to become a host. Either you didn't tell her what most Jinchurkis are viewed as by other people or you forced her to comply. You didn't force her did you?" The last words which Tsunade spoke were laced with venom that Hiruzen could understand completely. Unfortunately Orochimaru again decided to speak up.

"Come Tsunade you know that a child has better chances of becoming a host without dying. We need to preserve the Kyuubi or the balance in power between nations would be greatly disrupted and Konoha would be much weaker than the other great five."

Tsunade pretty much slammed her fist on the table breaking a chunk of the corner. Hiruzen really didn't like it when their personalities clashed. It tended to get _his_ things broken, that or Jiraiyas ribs.

"You of all people should know of what it's like to go through trauma as a child, what after your parents died." Even Orochimaru couldn't hide his anger at her words but before he could even say anything she continued" I thought even you'd at least be sympathetic to an orphan who has lost almost everything and is now expected to become a Jinchuriki!"

Orochimaru managed to calm a bit down but there was no denying the iciness in his tone "We are shinobi Tsunade this world is not fair. Even you have lost Nawaki your younger brother-

"Don't. Ever. Mention. His. Name." Behind each word contained a threat that Tsunade had every intention of carrying out.

Eventually Jiraiya for once became the voice of reason. "Calm down you two if you want to fight then do it after, we should be discussing the obviously more important matter here." Even in their angered state the two sannin halted at his tone. Jiraiya was almost never serious but when he was you knew everything he said should be taken into account. "Sensei, I trust you didn't force her to comply with this."

Hiruzen leveled his gaze onto each of his students before speaking. "No, at first I thought I might have to but Mito told as she would handle it so I left the room. A while later they emerged and Kushina said she would do it. She is a very brave girl. I don't know what Mito said to her to convince her to do it willingly but im glad she at least didn't make me force the girl to do so."

At this statement two of the sannin visibly relaxed. "So you want us to help with the extraction and sealing of the Kyuubi?" Hiruzen turned to Tsunade and nodded.

"All three of you have gained extensive knowledge on fuinjutsu thanks to Mito and many scrolls shared between us and Uzushiogakure. I would like all three of you to partake in this." They all nodded while Sakumo spoke up.

"Mito would prefer the ritual to be done by tomorrow, the sooner the better she says." The mood was shifted to one of resignation and sadness for they all knew that Mito, the one who had been there for all of them their whole lives would not survive the extraction. It was a bitter pill to swallow. Orochimaru stood up.

"Then we should start making the appropriate preparations for the ritual, where is it going to be performed." At this Sakumo stood up and walked towards the door.

"In a safe house outside the village in case anything goes wrong. We can't risk the Kyuubi suddenly awakening in the middle of the village. I will show you where it is." He gave Hiruzen a look which conveyed the silent message between them. He sighed as they left, not many people could bring themselves to trust Orochimaru these days. Despite all he's done for the village and in the second Shinobi war he has done little to maintain that trust. Especially seeing as he is suspected of working with Danzo who quite frankly seems to be obsessed with conflict.

However Orochimaru was definitely needed for the sealing of the Kyuubi. His skills were too valuable to go to waste here.

"Who will be taking care of the girl once its done? I'm assuming she has no parents?" Tsunade was a tough woman but she was the most compassionate of the three. Hiruzen, brought out of his thoughts interlocked his fingers and rested his chin on them.

"That was a point I was going to bring to you Tsunade, would you be willing to look after her for the foreseeable future?" Tsunade instead of blowing up at him for just assuming she would say yes, sighed heavily.

"Well with Dan always on missions most of the time I don't see a problem. Even though I am the head medical ninja of the village alongside Biwako. There is no war at the moment meaning they can handle most of the cases. So I guess it wont be a problem." Hiruzen blinked. Well that was easy. Tsunade stood up "I'll be going to the safe house to help with the preparations. If Mito hasn't told her everything that comes to being a Jinchuriki someone will have to, it's not fair on her if she doesn't know" With a bow she left leaving only him and Jiraiya.

They were silent for a long time. Hiruzen knew why Jiraiya was quiet, Mito was almost like a mother to him. He would be taking this the hardest knowing she was going to die tomorrow. Even he was regretting tomorrow but he knew it had to be done.

"You know no matter what that kid is going to have a really tough life." Hiruzen blinked surprised his thoughts were on the girl and not his mother-figure. "With people like Danzo around and with relations between nations sketchy at best if anyone finds out about it she's going to be viewed as all Jinchuriki are, a weapon."

Hiruzen took a rather long drag of his pipe which he had left forgotten during the conversation. "That's why only the people who were in this room know about it. If word does get out then I will have a very short list on who needs to be punished."

Jiraiya frowned "Then why bring Orochimaru here, you know he-"

Hiruzen held up a hand to stop him. "We suspect that he's in league with Danzo however his knowledge of the sealing arts is needed. That and we have no proof that he is with Danzo so don't mention this to me unless there is proof." His tone brooked no room for argument and Jiraiya grunted.

Silence again enveloped them, Jiraiya was always suspecting Orochimaru. The topic always left a sour feeling between them whenever it was discussed. That and with the impending death of Mito he knew he couldn't let this atmosphere between them linger. So he decided to talk about a subject he knew would bring Jiraiya back to his old self.

"Jiraiya" The man looked up startled. "How goes young Minato?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at the change of topic. "Seeing as he's an only an academy student he's doing exceptionally well. He is a genius much how you were convinced Orochimaru was when he was a kid"

"Hmm and why him over the others? He doesn't have a bloodline like some of the other top students do. Uchiha Ryuga is doing exceptionally as well. So is Hyuuga Hiroto and his sister Hirota. Why not them?" Jiraiya managed to chuckle at this.

"That's the thing, they have these advantages simply because of the clan they were born in. Minato doesn't have a significant bloodline which makes him all the more interesting." He sighed and put on a frown. "If his mother hadn't died in the war then maybe he would be a genin already. Having an extra tutor as well as the academy is another advantage the clans have over him. They teach their kids a lot you know."

"Agreed, her loss was pretty heavy during the war. Though thankfully Minato's father has recovered and looks after his son" Hiruzen sighed he didn't know the man all that well but before his wife's death he had been a very friendly man, always had a smile on his face. Nowadays that smiled seemed to be strained whenever he saw the man. "So the young boy has almost no family, no bloodline yet still manages to be on par with many of the top clans' most promising young children. I can see why he interests you."

A thought then struck him. "When he passes the graduation exam" Jiraiya smirked when he said _when_ not _if_ "Would you be willing to take on the genin team he is placed with?"

"Would it not be better to just take him under my wing as my apprentice without two others?" Hiruzen snorted.

"Don't think you can just have one student at a time Jiraiya, if I had your attitude I would have only taught Orochimaru and not you or Tsunade" Jiraiya almost paled at that. If him and Tsunade hadn't been under his tutorship they would have had two less sannin in the war "So you will have the chance to create three of the most powerful shinobi in existence instead of just one."

"Alright I get your point. I suppose I should head to the safe house now." He stood up and turned to leave, as his hand closed around the door handle he stopped. "Sensei, do you plan on making Kushina a ninja of the village?"

"Yes I do, if war does indeed come we may need the power of the Kyuubi. She will be taking her first lesson at the academy today before we perform the ritual" Jiraiya nodded.

"Then I must ask a favor, if I am in charge of a genin team I recommend you don't give me Kushina" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow but let him continue. "If I'm training Minato then I want to put a lot of focus onto him, and having to keep an eye on a Jinchuriki is more responsibility than I'm willing to take"

"If you did it would make things a lot easier knowing I have someone who knows about her status training her." He pondered for a moment. He could let Orochimaru teach her but if the rumors of him and Danzo were true then that would be a very dumb thing to do. He could give her to Tsunade or Sakumo. He would prefer someone with sealing abilities in case the Kyuubis power somehow threatened to be released while on a mission.

He put a hand to his head and sighed. Too much was happening all at once. He would think it over when it was nearing graduation. It was a full nine months away. Chances are she might not even pass the exam but considering Sakumo's report on her using ninjutsu against some bandits that was highly unlikely.

"Alright go on, I won't place her on your team if you are adamant about not taking responsibility for her. I'll have to assign Tsunade or Sakumo to her instead." Jiraiya nodded and with a farewell he left for the safe house.

When he was gone Hiruzen finally allowed his head to rest on the back of his chair. He took a very long drag from his pipe and put a hand to his forehead. He would think about that issue later, right now he just had to focus on the extraction and sealing of the Kyuubi into Kushina.

Everything else could wait.

* * *

"Hey Minato, you seemed distracted in training yesterday." The boy in question lifted his head off the hand it had been resting on to look at his friend Toma.

Toma was staring at him with his dark brown eyes. The same color as his hair which was rather short except a rather long bang of hair covering his left eye. He wore a grey sleeved shirt and black shorts.

Now Minato could have said that he wasn't distracted yesterday and inflated Toma and his ego but there was a reason behind it. He had the Hokage call him yesterday which in itself was pretty nerve wracking. But that wasn't the thing on the forefront of his mind yesterday. No what was the thing at the front of his mind was the shy looking girl with red hair who exploded at him when he stared too much. He was captivated by her hair, he had never seen hair like it but he certainly did like the color. More importantly what was a young girl doing with the most powerful man in the village.

However if he even mentioned that it was a girl he would never hear the end of it. Not just from Toma, but from all the others as well. So many girls in the academy had shown interest in him despite being only eleven years old. He didn't bother with returning any of those feelings for at eleven years old girls developed crushes very easily. This was also proved by how much they switched between and and some of the other boys in the class. He would rather train and get stronger so he could fulfill his dream.

On the flip side if he mentioned the Hokage Toma would just get jealous. Its not everyday that the Hokage calls for an academy student. So he settled on the easiest way out.

"You know Im not invincible, you may have actually surpassed me. I may even have to up my game or you'll stay ahead of me." He smirked knowing the statement would just annoy Toma. If the roll of the eyes was any indication.

"Oh bullshit, you know I don't appreciate that sarcasm Minato. There's no way I improved that much in one day. Its all but certain that you couldnt get that bad as to me actually beating you that easily" His tone had a hint of amusement to it even thought he was trying to act pissed off.

"You give me way too much credit, you aren't that far behind me" Another roll of the eyes.

"Yea and Ryuga will stop being typical Uchiha and might actually be friendly to people"

At that statement Minatos eyes drew toward the boy who had just gained a rather large tick mark on his head. Everyone knew most Uchihas thought they were better than the rest but Ryuga was the epitome of a narcissist. His cousin Mikoto was far better and actually got along with the rest of the class.

"You should probably quieten down Toma, lest you cause more scorch marks on you face courtesy of his fire style." Then there was Hirota Hyuuga. She approached them with an air of confidence and glanced at them both with annoyance. She was accompanied by Shikaku and Inoichi, from the Nara and Yamanaka clans.

Hirota had long dark brown hair and the same eyes every Hyuuga had, she wore a black kimono and sandals. If she wore anything else no-one in the class ever her wear it.

"He may be arrogant and looks down on us but that's because he can quite frankly back it up" Shikaku almost sighed at his admittance.

"Please, I can just bowl him over with my earth style, he's not that tough." All five of them could feel the glare that Ryuga sent towards Toma but before anything could happen Hirota jabbed a finger into Tomas shoulder. He instantly went slack into his chair. They all smiled at the regular treatment Toma got whenever Hirota caught him acting all high and mighty.

"Same thing every day huh" Minato exclaimed with an amused smile at his friends antics. Hirotas lips twitched.

"He never learns, he really ought to stop bragging he knows he can't beat you me or Ryuga. Everyone else maybe, well maybe not my brother but the point remains." Inoichi sweat dropped.

"Hey what are we? We aren't pushovers" They all looked at him even Shikaku as if he had lost his marbles. They weren't the worst by a long shot its just that it was a rarity for acadamy students like Minato to be that good so early on in their lives.

Before anything else could be said the door opened and their teacher entered. "Settle down now, I have some news." Everyone quietened down and listened. "We have a new student transferring today, please come in."

A very nervous looking girl entered the room and Minatos eyes widened. It was the same girl with the Hokage yesterday. Her red hair instantly gained his attention, it didn't flow down behind her sue to the slow stiffness of her walk. Didn't change his opinion on that he found it incredibly exotic. Her eyes met his and she instantly looked away.

"Im Uzumaki Kushina dattebane!" Just like last time she covered her mouth almost instantly as if embarrassed. Immediately the other students started yapping about her amongst themselves. None of which seemed positive in the slightest.

"Look at her hair"

"The heck who even has red hair"

"Looks ugly"

He turned to look at the person who said the last one wondering how someone could find that ugly. Meanwhile Kushina hearing these comments subconsciously grabbed a lock of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. She clenched her fists. They were mocking her and she hadn't even been in the room for five minutes.

If she were born a patient and calm girl she would have calmed down and waited for the mockery to end. Unfortunately she was neither calm nor patient, she was the opposite of both.

"Im going to be Konoha's first female Hokage!" Immediately the room went quiet and some kids looked a little angered by this. But what it had done was stop them talking about her hair. The teacher thankful for the silence told her to sit in the open seat near the back. He then left so he could get the books required for the lesson.

Almost immediately a group of five boys walked over to her and surrounded her. "You know that was very arrogant of you outsider.

"Yea you think you can just walk in here and spout some crap like that"

"The Hokage needs to be strong and powerful, but you, you on the other hand look like a tomato"

The boys snickered and a few other people in the class did as well. Kushina felt herself getting angry and was trying to stay calm. She then noticed that kid from the yesterday was staring at her with what looked like concern. That is until the brown haired kid next to him whispered something in his ear and laughed.

Minato turned to Toma and frowned. That in itself got Toma to stop giggling, Minato only frowned if he was really annoyed or troubled. So not a good thing.

"Yea how does someone even get hair like that anyway" As the boy said that he grabbed one of the strands framing her face. Too bad he didn't know her personality. As he found his wrist in a death grip.

Kushina turned her fiercest glare onto the offender and spoke in a tone that sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Who you calling a tomato?" In the next second all the boys were lying on the floor after she flung the boy by his arm into the rest knocking them of their feet. "If you call me a tomato again then im going to make you look like one, with my fists!" To accentuate the point she punched one of the kids in the face as he tried to stand up.

At this point the whole room was quiet until a chuckle was heard from across the room. Everyone turned to see Minato laughing at the site of five boys being destroyed by a fiery red head. She blushed and glared at him quickly silencing him and turning away. She quickly sat back down trying to pretend nothing had happened. She noticed that the boy she clocked in the jaw was glaring at her rather heatedly.

"Screw calling you tomato. You're the red hot blooded habanero!" As if to prove the name was perfect for her she turned her glare onto him and cracked her knuckles. Thankfully the boy was saved by the teacher returning. As everyone turned away from the fiery new student they whispered amongst themselves. Kushina grimaced, that name did fit her perfectly given the way she had introduced herself to everyone.

"Man she sure is an aggressive one" Minato turned to Toma who was looking at her with intrigue.

"Yea her personality matches her hair it seems" Hirota mentioned from the seat above them. Next her to Shikaku sighed.

"Woman are so troublesome, not even ten minutes here and is the center of attention"

"Well they did start mocking her first so I think she has every right to be angry." Minato thought everyone forgot she was being laughed at the moment she opened her mouth.

"Announcing you are going to be Hokage to a village that isn't yours to begin with is pretty arrogant, what'd she expect?" Toma agreed with Hirota's sentiments. "You cant just waltz in from another village and claim that sort of thing. People like to shoot those kind of people down. Besides its not like its our problem"

Minato wasn't convinced, he saw her with the Hokage and she was very shy at the time. Well until she yelled at him. She probably had some insecurities and the fact she was mocked within two minutes of arriving would piss most people off. They couldn't discuss it further as the lesson had started.

Yet every time he looked back at her he saw this expression of sadness that was covered up by a look of annoyance whenever she noticed him or anyone else looking at her.

* * *

Fuck what a stupid idiot she was. She had a chance to make things work but she had to go and make everyone hate her. The day hadn't gone much better after that, she was filled with thoughts about tonight and the fact everyone in the academy had labeled her 'tomato' or 'The Red Hot Blooded Habanero'. The name had spread really fast and she had been shot dirty looks from more than a few kids. Which she returned just as fiercely.

How could she have not been nervous though, Mito had told her she was going to have the Kyuubi sealed into her tonight, that and she didn't get much sleep due to the same reason. So she was even more impatient than usual. She felt so helpless, it wasn't fair. Her home was destroyed. She had been on the run ever since and then when she thinks she's found a home she's told she's going to have a demon locked inside her and now all the kids hate her.

So caught up in her rapidly darkening thoughts she didn't look up until a rather tall looking boy was standing a few feet in front of her. Behind him was the kid who she decked in the face. She leveled them with a withering glare that made the younger boy take a step back before the older one stepped forward. That was when she noticed he was wearing a headband.

"I hear you've been picking on my little brother"

"Oh yea I kicked his ass, maybe you should tell him to stop messing with me causing me to knock him flat on the ground." There goes her temper again.

The boy looked nonplussed. "See this headband? That means in a ninja and ninja's are supposed to deal with troublemakers and protect the innocent" Kushina glowered at this.

"Innocent my ass!"

"Now be a good little girl and accept the beating Im about to deliver so you learn your lesson."

He charged at her and threw a punch. She ducked beneath it attempting to deal a blow to his ribs. The boy merely twisted his body and delivered a kick to her side sending her rolling on the ground where she landed in a crouching position. She coughed a little from being winded by the kick.

"Sweet moves, didn't expect that from an outsider who looks like a tomato" She visibly went very red in the face from anger prompting a laugh from the two boys.

That was until she charged very fast at the genin and delivered a punch to his stomach. She then lifted her leg and slammed it into his face sending him sprawling into a tree. He then disappeared in a cloud where a log was left in his place. 'Substitution' She felt a punch across her jaw and she felt blood in her mouth. She was then punched twice more in the face before she was kicked across landing against a tree trunk.

"Give it up you are no match for someone like me." An ugly sneer made its way onto his face "You know I should probably cut off that ugly hair of yours. As a reminder that you shouldn't mess with us people from the leaf, you are after all just an outsider" She stood up and glared at him with a look that quite frankly scared him shitless. He swore he could see a dark aura surrounded her as she glared at him with nothing but hatred.

Not one to admit that he was intimidated by the fact she got up easily after his attack or for the glare that promised him _a lot_ of pain. He quickly turned with a sigh attempting to come across as indifferent. "Anyway you are a waste of my time, I don't even know why I bother-" He suddenly felt a very sharp pain on his back. The source of it was Kushina's foot.

He made a very rookie mistake, he turned his back on his opponent. Not to mention a very angry girl who had a murderous glare on her face. She got on him and started punching him in the face. The younger brother at this point paled and ran off screaming Habanero shamelessly leaving his brother to his fate.

"Don't. Ever. Threaten. To. Cut. Off. My. Hair" She punched him in the face for each word spoken. She felt a tear begin to slip. She may have not liked her hair but her father had the same color. Before the village was destroyed her mother would help her take care of it saying it was the same color as her fathers. She had never known him but she would be damned if she let someone touch it. It was the only thing she had that she shared with him apart from his bloodline.

She got up panting, she felt blood in her mouth that had escaped to her chin but she didn't wipe it. She was too worked up and upset to think of tidying herself up.

"This isn't the last you'll see of me outsider! You cant just walk in here acting like you own the place. You will never be accepted here" With that the genin got up and stalked away grumbling to himself on how he was going to get her back for the embarrassment he suffered.

She felt tears begin to fall, she closed her eyes and sobbed. This day had to be one of the worst in her life. Not to mention it was going to get worse if the ritual was going to happen. She wondered if she could go back on her word and leave before she felt something wet wiping her chin.

She opened her eyes to stare into the cerulean eyes of the blond haired boy holding a damp cloth to her chin. He smiled at her as he wiped off the last of the blood.

"Are you alright?"

It was a simple question but she honestly didn't know how to answer it. Her mind was too messed up to register what was happening so she settled on the first thing that came to mind.

"What?" He seemed amused by her state of confusion even if there was a small bit of concern etched onto his features.

"He hit you pretty hard back there, most people our age would be lying on the ground nursing the wound but you got back up kept fighting." He then put the cloth his jackets pocket before he looked at her with concern. "I didn't like the way he threatened you there, nor the way they treated you in class."

"Then why didn't you help me?" She had got some of her old self back and there was a little venom in her voice.

"Because I saw that you had it handled" She looked at him funnily. "Well his face looks like a very badly drawn painting now so that in itself shows you didn't need my help. Though if he went to make good on his threat I probably would have jumped in, but you reacted faster than I did" She felt a bit of pride in what he was saying even if he looked like he was weak himself.

His smile was slightly infectious and the fact he wasn't exactly mocking her right now and in fact complimenting her calmed her down. She found her lips twitching upward.

"You were with the Hokage the other day weren't you?" That's where she remembered him from, when she saw him in class she felt like she had seen those piercing blue eyes before. Anger then flashed across her features and Minato felt a little intimidated by the mood swing.

"You're the pervert who wouldn't stop staring at my hair!" He visibly gulped.

He laughed awkwardly "Sorry haha I've just never seen someone with red hair before" When her glare intensified she held his arms in front of him. "Don't get me wrong I don't think it's bad I quite like it actually, it's rather exotic" He spoke the last part really fast hoping to avoid her anger. He saw those punches she threw and they seemed like they hurt a lot more than your average punch.

She blushed rather heavily. Was he actually serious? No-one except her mother liked her hair. He was probably just lying so that she wouldn't beat him like she did the other guy. Before she could yell at him a man had just shunshined next to them. Startling both of them.

Sakumo stared at them both before turning to Kushina. "They want you now, if you would come with me." He then turned to Minato. "Miss Kushina will have to leave now, I apologize for the interruption"

Minato stared perplexed, what was Kushina doing with the White fang of Konoha? He glanced at her with a gaze full of wonder. Kushina however didn't notice his stare. All she could think about was what was going to happen next. Would she be hurt? Would the sealing fail and in the process kill her? How was life going to be once she had the Kyuubi inside of her? So many negative thoughts were going through her head. She looked up and saw Minato staring at her.

He smiled at her in a way that actually comforted her. Then Sakumo put his hand on her shoulder and shunshined them away.

* * *

 **AN: Should start of saying there will be a few OC's in this story. For example Minato and Kushina's genin teammates were never mentioned so they will be made up from my mind.**

 **Everything at this point is basically an introduction which shares alot of similarity to the canon series however pretty soon everything will be of my own mind apart from key events that were mentioned in the series. It will start to pick up soon, its rather slow atm but should pick up in the next few chapters.  
**

 **Hope you enjoyed it so far :)  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Kushina appeared inside a very dark cave. She blinked a few times at the suddenness of her arrival before she noticed five adults staring at her. She recognized Sarutobi and Mito but the other three were a new to her. She suddenly felt very small under there gazes and Sakumos hand still on her shoulder. She then looked down and noticed two areas of the room were covered in seals in two wide circles. Before she could study it further a tall blonde woman approached her and crouched down in front of her.

"You must be Kushina" She gave her a warm smile that reminded her of the Hokages fatherly one. "Im Tsunade and I'm one of Sarutobi sensei's students, the three legendary sannin. I trust your first day at the academy went well?" At this Kushina looked to the side causing four people in the room to frown. That wasn't a good sign.

Jiraiya sighed. If her first day was that bad then she would probably feel even worse after the Kyuubi was sealed into her. Granted it didn't have that many effects on her unless she had too many negative emotions going through her. Hopefully no-one else will find out about it.

Sakumo spoke up and looked to Jiraiya "She was speaking with your young protégé when I found her, it seems she was in a fight" Jiraiya glanced at her, he missed the swollen lip as well as the fact it was split open.

Tsunade only just seemed to notice her cut lip and her frown deepened. Kushina wasn't really noticing that though as all she could feel was the pale manned eyes boring into her before he went back and went over the seals again.

She was brought out of her nervous thoughts when she felt a warm hand on her arm, she turned and looked at Mito and her nerves eased little. "Fighting on your first day? You didn't start it did you?"

"No Mito-san, they mocked me for my hair. They called me tomato because of it" Jiraiya and Sarutobi had to stifle a giggle that luckily went unnoticed by said red head. Her hair was red like most Uzumaki clan members, however it did indeed was the shade of a ripe tomato. Not to mention her face was round further resembling the vegetable.

"You're hair color is proof of your heritage as an Uzumaki, if anything you should be proud of it" Mito smiled and pointed to her own. "Though yours is a much brighter red than most, mine is dull compared to yours." Kushina smiled weakly, not many people complimented it. Then again she never really did know many people seeing as her home was destroyed before she was old enough to remember many of the faces who lived there

"Everything is in order, if we could get the vessels to their positions now." Orochimaru looked up with a hint of annoyance. Almost as if he would rather be somewhere else. He also seemed to have lost whatever interest he had in Kushina for the moment.

Sarutobi spoke up "Tsunade here as well as Jiraiya and Orochimaru will be in charge of the sealing of the Kyuubi into you and the extraction of the Kyuubi from Mito. Would you please sit in the center of the circle on the right Kushina.

Kushina left the grips of the two woman before she lay down in the center, she looked over and saw Mito being hugged by Sarutobi and the others before Orochimaru appeared in front of her. "Mito will be alright wont she?"

Orochimaru inwardly smirked but on the outside he put on a look of indifference. "Mito won't survive the extraction."

Kushina almost sat up straight but Orochimaru held her shoulder down. She tried to get up but his grip felt like someone had was holding it down with the weight of a boulder. After a few seconds she realized her effort was futile "Why won't she survive? Does she know about this?"

"Yes she knew, but in her old age she won't have the strength to survive it. Unfortunate really." He said the last part with no real sincerity. As if saying it was a chore.

Before he could say anymore Tsunade appeared and knelt down. "Orochimaru you should go say your goodbyes."

"I see no reason to"

"Go say your goodbyes Orochimaru" There was no mistaking the iciness in her tone and after a few seconds of a staring contest Orochimaru stood up and walked over to the rest of them. Following his form for a while Tsunade turned her gaze to the young girl lying on the ground.

"Is Mito really going to die?" Tsunade sighed, they had hoped to keep that piece of information for after the ritual but of course Orochimaru would have told her now.

"Yes she is." When a look of sadness crept over Kushinas features Tsunade knew she had to try and ease her worries. "She is already dying, she has lived for a very long time and as a Jinchuriki she needs to be strong in both body and spirit. Unfortunately her body can no longer keep up so we have to extract it sooner rather than later."

"Why didn't she tell me?" A tear had slipped from Kushina's eyes and fallen to the ground.

"She thought it would be best if we told you after, however it seems some people don't like following her advice." Distaste was evident in her features.

"I don't like him" Kushina wouldn't admit it but his eyes and whole demeanor gave her the creeps.

"Don't worry about him, just focus on staying still. It looks like we're ready." As she moved to stand up she felt a small hand enclose itself on her arm. Kushina looked at her with fear and Tsunade could practically feel her heart melt. "Don't worry Kushina, It may look bleak but Mito has led a very fulfilling life. You have strong spirit Kushina, willingly allowing yourself to become the host of the Kyuubi. You are very strong, you can make your life a good one despite being a Jinchuriki. It will be fine."

Staring into the woman's eyes Kushina honestly believed her. She felt her heart calm down and her fidgeting stopped. She let go of the woman's arm and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Tsunade went and took her place on the circle Kushina was in. Orochimaru and Sarutobi were going to extract the Kyuubis chakra from Mito where she and Jiraiya would then take control and place it into Kushina. They were going with the eight trigrams seal and make it as tight as possible. She looked over and saw Orochimaru and Sarutobi perform the correct seals before beginning to extract the Kyuubis chakra.

Mitos body had suddenly become enveloped in red chakra, the very air around them felt malevolent. All the people in the room felt the hatred pouring out of her. Her eyes were stark white, pupiless and her back had arched off the ground. The chakra then became a ball above her and Mitos body then stilled, becoming lifeless. She couldn't think about that now as she then had to take the ball of chakra and direct it into Kushina.

Said girl had showed great obedience and had not looked over once. She had suddenly felt a great negative feeling in the air before a stream of red chakra make its way onto her belly. Her eyes widened and she felt her mind going blank. The last thing she remembered before she fell unconscious was a stream of red chakra flowing into her body.

After a minute the chakra was all but complete and the seal was done. Mito was dead.

The Kyuubi had a new Jinchuriki.

* * *

Minato lay on the floor panting. Every morning after waking up he exercised till he wore himself out. Today he had managed two hundred sit ups and pushups without a break which for an academy student was pretty good. After Kushina had disappeared with Konohas white fang he went to the training grounds and tried working on a new jutsu. He thought he'd been at it for minutes but it turns out he had been there for three hours. So much that his dad had worried if anything had happened.

His dad always worried.

It's not like Minato didn't understand why he did. His mother had died in the war, he had never been given specifics but he knew that the outpost she had been in was attacked and she gave her life to save most of the forces from the surprise attack. She was heralded as one of the wars heroes for she killed many of the enemy ninja before she fell. So much they couldn't press on or even defend from Konohas counterattack. Which ultimately ended up being the turning point of the second shinobi war in Konohas favor.

So when Minato enrolled in the academy at age five, three years since the end of the war his father had been worried. Was always fussing over him. He loved his father but sometimes he could be overbearing in his protectiveness. However Minato was set on his path to become Hokage and if his teachers words were anything to go by, he stood a good chance if he kept developing at the rate he was.

However such thoughts could wait, he was hungry and if the smell of breakfast was anything to go by it was going to be good. So he got into the shower to get rid of the smell of sweat then dressed in a blue shirt and black pants. His white jumper of course going on top.

As he walked into the kitchen his father looked up from his meal and smiled. "I left you some on the table." When he saw that it was just plain vegetable curry his hopes were dashed. He suddenly remembered this was Namikaze Ryu who made this. He didn't know what to expect. "Ahaha sorry I know my cooking isn't the greatest, your mother always was the cook before me"

Again mentioning his mother, not a day goes by when Ryu wouldn't mention her and then this look would glaze over his eyes. The mood usually become solemn after that.

"I know you do your best dad, to me that's enough" and again Minato would say something similar and Ryu would smile again. This routine of conversation happened at least once a day. It was the only sour part of their relationship which was easily mended by the father son bond they shared. Well that and his fathers over protectiveness were the only negatives in Minatos mind.

"So how goes the academy? You're break just finished so the graduation exam is soon isn't it?" Minato wasn't really studying for it. He had covered every subject, he was just working on the physical part of the exam now. For instance the clone Jutsu and the transformation jutsu.

"Yea its going good, the graduation exam is in six weeks so right now we are just revising all the subjects we have gone through. As well as the written exam we have to do the physical exam as well." Ryu's eyes lit up.

"You know your mother when she took the exam she one upped the clone jutsu and performed the shadow clone jutsu just to surprise them." His eyes were full of life at the memory. "When she told me I couldn't stop this smile on my face I was so proud of her." Before he could continue he started coughing. When it didn't stop after a minute Minato raised his eyebrows.

"Choke on your food?"

"Hmm yea" his eyes were a little watery from the coughing fit. "Better go shower now before I go to work" He flashed Minato a smile and wished him a good day before leaving.

Minato finished his curry and left for the academy. After stopping by Toma's house to wait for him to get join him they went together before Toma scowled at him.

"Alright why did you leave training early yesterday? So you could practice that new jutsu in secret?"

Minato smirked already enjoying the verbal battle on the way to academy.

* * *

Kushina groaned when she awoke, she raised her arm to her head and opened her eyes to the ceiling. Where was she? She was in a small room that contained the bed, a wardrobe and a window as well as the door in the corner. Remembering the events from last night she bolted up and looked herself over. She didn't know what she was going to find but she looked anyway. 'Mito!'

Suddenly the door opened and Tsunade walked in carrying a jug full of water. She looked at Kushina in surprise before she rested the jug on the wardrobe and sat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Not that different" Kushina was shocked, she thought having a demon inside of her would be painful but she felt no different. As if reading her mind Tsunade spoke up.

"Having a Bijuu inside of you has no negative effects on your body unless you experience a great deal of negative emotions. In fact you even get some benefits like accelerated regeneration like Mito did." It was then both of them grimaced and the atmosphere became heavy.

"Mito she is-?" Tsunade didn't even have to speak to answer her question. She felt guilty at the woman dying. She hadn't known her for that long but she gave her comfort and hope when she needed it most.

Tsunade took her hands in hers and softly stroked the top of Kushinas with her thumbs them. "Mito knew what she was asking of you and she knew the consequences. Don't blame yourself." Kushina nodded and sniffled a bit. "There will be a funeral for Mito by the end of the week that will be the time to mourn and remember. Until then focus on adjusting to life here in Konoha."

Tsunade stood up and got her poured her a glass of water which Kushina all but chugged down. Suddenly her stomach growled causing her to blush. Tsunade smirked "Hungry eh? What would you like to eat? I would offer you some food but my cooking is pretty terrible."

"Got any ramen?" Tsunade almost groaned, it was Jiraiyas favorite meal and she personally didn't like it. Although there was always Ichirakus which did produce ramen even she could stomach.

"I know just the place, although you're going to need to change, the sealing ripped a hole into your shirt so that's going to need to be sewed back together." Kushina nodded, she can always sew, and the moments when she wasn't, running or fighting she had been patching up all the clothes with holes in them.

So after ten minutes of digging through Tsunade's stuff that she hadn't thrown away she found a nice white tank top and a black sleeved shirt. Also a comfy pair of beige cotton pants made her feel rather lazy. They set out for Ichirakus with Kushina's stomach rumbling rather loudly.

"Academy starts in an hour, so you have plenty of time to eat to your stomachs content." Boy if only Tsunade knew how vast Kushinas stomach was.

Thirty minutes later Tsunades jaw was slack and the staff at Ichirakus grimaced at the amount of dishes there were to be done. Kushina herself looked a little shocked. She knew she had a big stomach but this was almost twice as much as usual. Tsunade looked at her wallet and inwardly flinched, she better not treat this girl to food that often.

Before she could comment over the vast amount of dishes Kushina looked at the time. "Ah crap I better run if I want to make it on time." She didn't get up however as memories of the way she was treated came over her.

Tsunade noticed the forlorn expression of the girl and bit her lip. She would have to help this girl gain some self-confidence.

"Kushina?" Both the woman turned around to see Minato and some other kid looking at her. Kushina didn't know how to react, standing in front of her was Minato the boy who treated her kindly where all the others were nasty. To the side of him was one of those who had joined in on the name calling though only briefly.

"Minato what are you doing, she'll probably beat you up simply for talking to her" Kushina flinched. Minato sighed and told Toma to go on ahead if he didn't want to talk with her. Toma grumbled but stayed where he was. Tsunade frowned at the boys' words but then glanced at the blond one. Minato, this was the boy Jiraiya said showed great promise.

"If you guys are only here to make fun of me then go away." Kushina huffed and turned away from them. Tsunade sighed, things weren't going to improve for her if she just gave everyone that kind of attitude. Though if that was the impression she had of them then things must have have been pretty bad on her first day.

"Im not here to mock you, I just saw you and wanted to know if your lip is feeling better now" He gave a warm smile and Kushina turned around to stare at him and her face softened. "Hmm oh it seems to have healed already, mustn't have been that bad then." She brought a hand up to touch it, only to find that he was right. It had gone as if never there, she had faster heling than most even by Uzumaki standards but the fact it had already healed was just ridiculous.

"You were the boy she was with when that happened?" Tsunade was curious about this boy, if Jiraiya had shown interest in a mere academy student then he must be very unique.

"Yea she had gotten into a fight with some guy, she beat the crap outta him but not before he split her lip open. Though she got off way better than he did, his face was a mess" He chuckled a bit and the three of them looked at him funnily. "What?"

"Minato is that why you left training early? So you could watch the habanero beat some guy into bad shape." He ignored the glare that Kushina sent his way at the nickname.

"Hey he started it!" she yelled in exasperation which again was ignored by Toma.

"Well no I was going to work on that jutsu I've been trying out when I stumbled across the fight" Toma folded his arms and pouted. Kushina was curious as to why Minato found his supposed friends brother getting beaten up good thing but before she could say anything Tsunade spoke up.

"Hey kid" said boy looked towards her. The gulped as he finally recognized her as one of the three sannin. The Hokage, Konohas white fang and Tsunade of the sannin. Just who was this girl to know three of the most important people in the village? "I want you to look after Kushina here alright?" At this all three kids looked at her with different expressions.

Toma was wide eyed and disbelief on his face. Kushina was looking at her with irritation and confusion. While Minato just raised an eyebrow and looked at her as if asking why. To which she elaborated.

"You see if I understand correctly this term is the one where you go over everything you've learned for the written exam and hone your skills for the physical exam. Obviously Kushina here just transferred so she has no notes to go over, so why not learn from the star pupil? Also if what I've heard is true you are the only one to try befriend her so that makes you the only option really."

Not one to say no to a sannin, not that he would have declined either way he nodded and smiled while Toma groaned. "Really Minato, you get stuck with tomato here and if you do then I-"

He suddenly felt a searing pain on his face before he flew into the wall crashing through it. Minato stared at the perpetrator jaw hung open. Heck he was fast for even genin standards but the speed and not to mention power of that punch left him speechless.

Tsunade looked amused. Habanero aye? With a temper like that and strength to boot Kushina reminded her of herself in her youth. Said girl practically had steam coming out of her ears and a murderous look on her face. "Don't call me tomato got it asshole!"

A pained moan came from the crash site confirming the culprit heard. Kushina relaxed but still in a sour mood when Tsunade announced her leave. Said she had to go wait at the gates for a guy called Dan to return from his mission.

So as she went off Minato smiled at her which she scowled in return. "I don't need looking after"

"Of course, Im just here to get you up to date on everything that has been taught in the academy for the past seven months" yea no doubt an easy task. If Kushinas expression was anything to go by she wasn't looking forward to it either. "Well should we head to the academy now?"

"What's the point in going if all you do is go over what you've already learnt?" Minato sweat-dropped. She sounded extremely enthusiastic about the whole situation he thought sarcastically. Still he had been given a task and he would be lying if he wasn't curious about the red head in front of him. As soon as he his thoughts went to her hair his eyes decided to fixate on said object. So vibrant he thought, he'd never seen such an att-

"Oi quit staring, pervert!" He was brought out by a lightly blushing Kushina who had instinctively started fiddling with the ends of her hair at his staring. He was creeping her out whenever he seemed to just stop and stare at her hair.

Minato raised his hands in a defensive pose "Ah sorry uh well academy uhh, well we were told to just meet up and attend and then do whatever we thought was best to prepare for the genin exam."

At that point Toma had recovered and made his way over towards them. "I feel like I just got hit by five boulders slammed against my face." He looked up and noticed that Kushina was still there. "Hey Minato, are you really going to help this tom- girl for the exam?" He sidled closer to Minato when her fist began to start shaking from anger when he almost called her tomato again.

"Yea I am, our training time will be cut into so-"

"Why am I such a burden huh?" Minato was abruptly interrupted. "Just so you know I can train as well, in fact im probably better than both of you" She put her hands on her hips in defiant pose practically asking them to say she was wrong. Toma was about to when Minato cut in.

"Then after we go to the academy after that would you like to show us what you can do?" if this girl had the attention of a few very important people then she had to be very good at jutsu.

"You're on! Don't cry when I wipe the floor with you dattebane!" With that she started marching to the academy.

"She's more uptight that a Hyuuga, even Hirota doesn't walk that stiff" Toma muttered. Minato chuckled awkwardly.

"Well the way she walks practically radiates annoyance, Hirotas seems more upper classy because of her upbringing" Toma muttered something about his face while they went to catch up to the fiery girl. Who had in fact stopped and looked at them impatiently eager to start a fight it seemed. While in Kushinas eyes the moment they doubted her abilities she was ready to prove them wrong, not to actually beat them to the ground for the fun of it.

So it was met with astonishment from most of the academy students when The Red Hot Habanero marched into class with the most promising student of the class and his best friend. She sat in her usual seat expecting to waste the hour waiting for it to end while doing nothing. So she was surprised when Minato and a reluctant Toma joined her.

"You shouldn't be seen sitting with me, aren't you worried about your popularity? If you are seen talking with me they'll treat you like they treat me" Sure enough they were being glared at. Though what Kushina didn't realize was that some of the girls were staring at her in jealousy at the fact Minato chose to sit with _her_ of all people.

The boys were glaring because they had all heard about how she had picked a fight with a genin and left him bruised. They thought that Minato was probably going to challenge her but after seeing that wasn't the case they lost interest. Minato himself looked non plussed.

"Well if im going to be tutoring you for the next six weeks they are going to see me with you eventually. Might as well let them see you with me now. As for my popularity I don't really care for it. I have friends who will probably be wondering why im with you but I'll just tell them the truth." He smiled "Who knows maybe they will come to like you as well"

She looked at him as if he'd gone crazy. They all looked at her in anger or slight fear. No doubt that genin she beat up had gone around telling people. Still if anyone could turn her reputation around it might be the most popular boy in the academy. Not that she really cared. Although looking at his smile and into his cerulean eyes she found her lips twitch upward.

Toma sighed "There he goes again proving why he's the most popular kid, I swear nobody could hate the guy." Shikaku who was sat at the table next to Toma along with Inoichi Chouza, Hirota and her brother Hiroto shook his head.

"So why is he talking to her, I mean he's a great guy who could make the most bitter old lady fall in love with him. But why would he want to talk to Habanero?"

"Eh oh some blonde lady told him to do it, something about tutoring her for the genin exam" He had all their attention now.

"But she only just transferred, shes going to take the exam after around six weeks education?" Inoichi looked skeptical, a view shared by the others.

Hirota looked over at the two conversing "Well if anyone of us could do it, it would be Minato"

"Not that anyone else would bother" said Shikaku. "Anyway who was the lady who told him to do it? I doubt he would bother with her if any old lady asked him"

"Some lady who looked around thirty, blonde hair tied into two ponytails a very large chest." At this Hirota perked up. She was ready to put him to sleep with her byakugan when her brother Hiroto spoke up.

"Isn't that Tsunade of the sannin? We had to write an essay on the Sannin and their achievements once for a test" At that everyone paused. Why else would Minato feel compelled to help someone like Kushina if not told to do so by someone important?

"Someone with the status of Tsunade wouldn't know someone like her, has to be someone else." They all nodded their agreement but Toma remained quiet. Minato seemed to like her enough seeing as he always changed the topic whenever someone brought her up and insulted her. Not to mention he didn't seem against the idea. However when you possibly had a sannin personally asking you to do something you didn't say no. Looking at them now he did seem to enjoy her company, also she wasn't scowling at him like she did to everyone else. Even if she didn't look pleased she actually tolerated him.

But then everyone liked Minato so that didn't say much. He would just have to judge her fully when she came to train with them.

When the students were finally released Kushina was the first out the door, she would show them how good she was. She may not know anything about any written exam but she sure as hell wasn't going to lose to them in terms of physical capabilities. She had her mind set and nothing was going to stop her.

Except the fact she had left them behind and had absolutely no idea where she was going.

As she stopped she realized in her march they weren't behind her. Great they just ditched her. They knew she would beat them so they just chickened out. She found her face going red from anger. She hated being doubted, if a fight was what they wanted a fight was what they were going to get. She snorted. Red Hot Blooded Habanero fit her perfectly if that was her attitude. She stopped by a stretch of water and sat on the ground with her legs dangling, almost touching the water. She looked at herself in the reflection.

True to Tsunade's words she felt no different from before. It was as if nothing had happened, so long as she doesn't lose control. Whatever that meant, lose control of what? She suddenly felt like she was being watched and turned around. She then spotted three young teens standing on a large branch. She recognized one of them as the kid whose face she 'painted' if Minatos description was anything to go by.

"Really Taji? You got beaten by the likes of her?" The female of the group looked surprised. A mere brat like her managed to beat a genin of thirteen years of age. The girl had shoulder length black hair and an ugly sneer that made Kushina really want to punch her.

"Hey shut up Eri she surprised me! I had her beat then she hit me from behind" Kushina gained tick mark on her head, he did not have her beat and his words were just angering her further.

"Perhaps you shouldn't turn your back on her then" The third member wore a bandana over his hair and spoke in an emotionless voice that set her on edge. "But if you can't deal with a pipsqueak like that then I don't know how you passed the exam to become a genin"

Suddenly all three of them felt a rather murderous feeling in the air and looked down at the young girl. She had gained an aura of anger around her and shot them glares that caused the three of them to tense. When Kushina spoke her voice was low and menacing, that promised eternal agony to who it was directed to.

"Pipsqueak huh?" She grit her teeth before yelling "Who do you think you are calling a pipsqueak I'll flatten you! Just like I did your buddie there"

"Eris eye twitched and her sneer became even more condescending. "Hah you think you're so tough since you beat Taji. Heck I won't even need their help I can beat you myself" She then jumped down and looked at her as if she was nothing. "Stay out of this you two, I'm gonna teach this bitch to respect her betters."

She suddenly dashed towards Kushina attempting to end it quick. She launched a punch at Kushinas face, Kushina pivoted on her foot and twisted out of the way delivering an elbow to the girls ribs before launching her unoccupied hand into her face. Eri quickly converted her faces destination towards the ground into a roll and recovered. To say she was surprised an academy student was able to react that fast and deliver a swift counterattack was an understatement. Taji may have been right that she was better than some genin.

Still she wasn't going to allow this red head to beat her.

She pulled out a couple of shuriken to distract her. Given her reactions before she was surprised when Kushina stood still allowing herself to be grazed by one. Said girl didn't react to the cut on her arm for she was shocked this girl was bringing ninja tools into it.

Upon recovering she quickly grew enraged at the fact weapons were used and charged blindly at Eri. Eri quickly got into a basic taijutsu stance and grabbed Kushina's extended wrist and flung her over her shoulder and into the ground. Without letting go she stomped on the Kushinas stomach causing her to cry in pain and then cough. As Eri went to stomp again Kushina grabbed her foot with her free hand and due to the loss of balance Kushina pulled her to the ground with her. She then mounted Eri and started pounding her face.

However before she could get a few hits in she was pulled off and thrown to the ground where Taji pinned her down. Eri stood up and spat out some blood.

"You bitch" Taji lifted her into a kneeling position and Eri slapped her. "Huh whats wrong?" Another slap, it drew blood this time. Eri was pissed and wasn't holding back. "Cant fight back?" Kushina struggled to break free but Taji had her arms pinned behind her back and wasn't letting go. Another slap. "Not so tough now are you?" Eri suddenly pulled out a kunai and held it against Kushinas face.

At this point the third member of the trio jumped down. "Eri that's enough, don't do anything stupid"

"Bite me, this bitch pissed me off. She deserves worse than a beating" She eyed Kushinas hair and smirked. "How about I just cut this all off, its ugly anyway." Before she could make do on her threat she found a hand on her shoulder that pulled her away. Before Taji could react he was punched squarely in the face and fell on the ground.

"Sorry I didn't want to add to the bruises on your face but you guys were taking this way too far." Kushina looked up from her position on the ground and an involuntary gasp made its way out of her. Minato turned to her and extended his hand which she ignored and stood up. She spat out blood and glared at him. "Hey this time I just arrived, you disappeared after class and it took a while to find you"

Kushina looked like she was about to yell at him before she was beaten to it.

"Oi, this has nothing to do with you kid, so scram" Eri looked downright pissed at the interruption.

"Sorry to disappoint you but im very much involved here. If you have a problem with that then we can settle this much like the way you were trying to deal with Kushina here." He smiled throughout the whole sentence but his meaning was quite the opposite.

"Fine we can take you on its three against two here, not to mention that we are genin and you two are just a couple of brats."

"Minato don't get involved, I can handle myself" Despite her words she was grateful for the help. She would never admit losing but they had her pinned there.

Minato glanced at her "You probably did, though when I that they were going to use a kunai I decided that stepping in was good idea. You are strong Kushina but they wanted to hurt you. I wasn't going to let that happen"

Kushina lightly flushed at his words. Everyone other kid hated her yet he was coming to her defense.

"Oh spare me this friendship bullshit, are you guys going to fight or what?"

"Eri you are taking this too far"

"Shut up Koran, its three on two we can easily beat them." Koran just sighed. If this kept going then Taji would just look like a watermelon was splattered over his face.

Suddenly Toma appeared next to Minato, he saw three people with cuts and bruises and just sighed. He looked to Kushina "Seems like whenever I see you someone gets hurt." She glowered at him and looked to the side. It's not her fault they approached her to fight but here he was blaming her again.

"The why the fuck are you here for then?"

"Well if Minato is going to defend you I might as well too."

"Don't worry you won't be fighting us." All eyes turned to Koran.

"What the fuck Koran?"

"If you want to fight them then go ahead. Im not going to help you on this one, it's a waste of time and unnecessary." With that he helped Taji up whose face was still hurting and promptly left. Eri looked furious before she glared at the three students before following after her teammates.

Minato released a sigh and shook his head before turning to Kushina. He went to touch her bruised cheek and cut lip when she recoiled from his attempt. He frowned at her resistance. "Im just going to check on it" When she still glared at him defiantly he sighed and pulled out a handkerchief. "If you won't let me do it then could you at least wipe the blood away?"

After a few seconds she begrudgingly accepted it and wiped away the blood. Toma looked at them and shook his head. "You do realise if you stick with her she's going to get you in trouble one day. All the other kids don't like her" Minato gave him an annoyed look and then glanced at Kushina who had gained a pain stricken look on her face.

"That may be true but I was given a task by one of the sannin. That and I don't dislike you Kushina" She looked at and stared at him in confusion. "You are strong in both body and spirit, if you are willing I would be glad to tutor you until the day of the exam" His smile was infectious and she gave him a shy one back which made Toma roll his eyes.

"Whatever man, shes your problem now. I guess with you looking after her that means our training time will be cut?"

"Yea looks like it, but hey this is your chance to come up with stuff to surprise me" He gave him a cheeky grin to which Toma chuckled at.

"Yea more like you'll come up with more while tutoring her." With a wave he left them to do probably do some more training.

Kushina had wiped the blood by now and handed him back his handkerchief. "So what's the story between you two?"

"Hmm? Well his parents are ninja and were comrades with my mother, they were best friends in fact. They were on the same genin team so when both of us were born we grew up together."

"So you guys have like a friendly sort of rivalry going?"

"Yea Im always top of the class and hes dead set on taking my 'throne' so to speak. Though I think he expects to never beat me though he keeps on trying."

"Weird, if someone expects to never beat you then why bother?"

"Who knows what goes on in his head? Hes come close a couple of times but Im just too fast for him and have more affinities than him. For instance he's earth and fire while I can use a few jutsu in most. Though the only one Im really effective at is wind."

Kushina looked up surprised. "You can use all of them?" He nodded. "Huh well I can use wind and water effectively, though every other one Im useless at." This time Minatos turned to her surprised.

Two nature affinities effectively was a rarity, and for someone there age to be one of them was quite the pleasant surprise. "Perhaps we could spar one day, I need a new opponent other than Toma." He had more challengers once upon a time. But when he beat them all they gave up. The only people in his class he hadn't fought were Hirota, Hiroto and Ryuga.

Kushina looked towards him and smirked slightly. "Yea one day" They lapsed into a pleasant silence before they stopped outside Tsunades house.

"This where you live?" She nodded in the affirmative. "Well how about tomorrow after we got to the academy we start going over notes for the written exam?"

"That's sounds boring" She huffed in annoyance while he sweat dropped.

"Well you do need to know this stuff to pass. How about this, for every hour of written study we do we can practice some ninjutsu for a half hour?" The idea did appeal to her, she wasn't one to concentrate in front of a book for too long so the sound of more interesting training was a nice bargaining point.

In the end she made it like she was doing him a favor and sighed "That and you buy me lunch after every two hours of study"

He chuckled "Alright, alright that sounds good." He extended his hand to shake on it which she looked at with disgust. "We shake on it to seal our deal"

"Sorry blondie Im not into hand holding" Instead of being offended he looked amused as he withdrew his hand.

"Alright then so I can come here to pick you up for when we go to the academy?" At this suggestion she looked even more uncomfortable. He didn't really understand why she looked so defensive all of a sudden.

"We are gonna meet at the academy anyway so I don't see why you should go out of your way to come here just to walk me there. I can walk fine by myself." She pretty much snapped the last part causing him to wince. The heck was with that?

He wearily nodded to her while taking a step back. "Alright I guess I'll see you at the academy then." She didn't reply causing him to frown. Nevertheless he waved to her and said farewell to which she answered with a weak wave.

Kushina didn't mean to snap at him. He was nice enough but Minato befriending her wasn't a good idea. He was the popular kid and she was the one everyone hated and made fun of. She huffed in annoyance before entering the house. Tsunade wasn't home yet so she just decided to lounge on the couch turning in the T.V.

She shouldn't make friends. Like Toma had said no matter where she went people got hurt.

That and she had a demon inside of her. Yea she shouldn't get too close with anyone, though she should at least apologize for snapping at the one kid who didn't seem to hate her. She was going to be spending the next six weeks with him after all.


End file.
